After the Collapse
by AwakeningEden
Summary: Gilbert is dying and there is nothing Ludwig or Lily can do about it.


**Crystal Inferno: This fandom does not take seriously the dissolution of Prussia and the Berlin Wall. I'm here to amend that. **

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Gilbert was dying.

Feliciano tried to reassure him, to tell him it was only natural that his brother was aging. But Ludwig would always inquire – why weren't they aging? Why didn't Yao, the oldest of them all, look a day over twenty-five? Feliciano would point to Lily, huddled next to Gilbert. She had certainly grown over the last thirty years. She had reached full womanhood, out growing her petite pinstripe dresses and shuffling into sleek black skirts and unbuttoned blouses. Even her wavy, dirty blonde hair was longer, moving past the need to assume the persona of her adopted brother.

_She's aging, _Feliciano would say in a quick, hushed voice. _Look how beautiful she's become. _

_ Her nation is growing, _Ludwig would counter. _She's one of our wealthiest. My brother's nation no longer exists. His is only here because they consider him the East…_

_ See! He's alive through you, _Feliciano would smile, taking Ludwig's hands into his own. _Perhaps he was officially abolished, but they've consider the East and the West two separate entities since the beginning of the Cold War. Perhaps what Ivan did saved – _

At this point, Feliciano would be too excited, his once quiet voice reaching a jubilant trill. His words would ring throughout the kitchen and into the den where Lily and Gilbert had been enjoying the fire in silent content. As soon as the name Ivan fell from his lips, Gilbert's eyes snapped open, his mouth drawn out in dread.

_Ivan? _Gilbert would start shaking underneath the blankets and clutch the sofa cushions. _Ivan's here isn't he? He's going to take me back, isn't he? I can't go back. I won't go back. I won't!_

Gilbert would get up and leave the sofa, leaving a distraught Lily trying to reach out to him. He'd start scrambling around the den, asking if Ivan was there, to show himself so they could fight, to beg that he didn't take him back, to plead to leave his brother and Lily alone. He'd start pounding his fists across the walls, cracking the white paint in an instant. Ludwig would yell at him to stop and Feliciano would apologize left and right but they were never enough. It was only ever through Lily that he regained himself. She was after all, the love he recently regained.

_Gilbert, he's not here! _Lily's voice would be a near shriek, following him at every corner. _He's not going to take you away. I'm here and so is Ludwig! We won't ever leave you, Gilbert!_

At hearing her pleas, Gilbert would crumple onto the floor and cling to the folds of her skirt. She would kneel beside him and stroke his hair, doing all she could to not cry along with him.

_Don't leave me again Lily, _Gilbert would sob. _Please, don't ever leave me again. I can't lose you and Ludwig. You're all I have…you're all I have…_

_ I won't, _Lily would softly reassure him. _I promise. Never again. _

That particular scene would play out at least once every year and would shut Feliciano up for quite some time. Ludwig could never understand why he kept on pressing the issue. Gilbert was dying and there was nothing either he, Feliciano, or Lily could do about it.

"Hey, Ludwig!" Gilbert's voice interrupted his recollections. "You done with that lemonade yet? Me and Lily are pretty freaking thirsty!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Ludwig replied, stirring the pitcher a few more times before taking it and walking out the backdoor.

It was the beginning of the summer, the sun high in the sky with a few clouds sprinkled across the deep blue barrier. Lily and Gilbert finished their gardening, the whole yard adorned with roses, tulips, and of course lilies. It was the perfect day and Ludwig silently wished Feliciano was here to enjoy it with them. He had been neglecting his duties and Lovino for awhile however, and they wouldn't be able to see each other until Lily's birthday party.

_It's alright though, _Gilbert thought as he made his way to the gazebo. _His brother is just as important…_

"Sheesh! Finally got your ass over here!" Gilbert jeered, swaying his empty glass back and forth. "You can't eat potato chips by themselves, you know."

"Quit complaining," Ludwig said as he poured his and Lily's glass. "And by the way, you have more than potato chips at the table."

"I know," Gilbert as he munched on the Saukerkas and looked over the Hafalaab Lily had prepared. "I just wanted my damn lemonade."

Ludwig frowned as he took his seat across from the pair of lovebirds, scanning Gilbert's face for any sign of mischief. The wrinkles around his eyes and mouth crinkled as he took a sip of his lemonade, his long, bony fingers twitching in the slightest way. The gray liver spot on his neck was just visible in the shade of the gazebo and even in 90 degree weather he still wore his old leather coat. At least he hadn't lost his hair…

"Thank you for the lemonade, Ludwig," Lily said as she placed her glass on the table. "It's so delicious! The lemons were especially ripe this year."

"Your welcome," he smiled, looking over the girl that until a few decades ago had seemed so young in comparison to the rest of them. She wore a cotton white dress with a blue ribbon wrapped around her petite waist, accentuating her large bust. Her face had lost its babyish quality and was replaced with regal elegance. Her green eyes still sparkled bright, her lips still a pretty pink, and her skin remaining a soft beige. Sometimes Ludwig wondered what Lily saw in his dork of a brother. He would have to remind himself that they had known each other since they were children; Gilbert had protected her from those that sought out her land. He'd also have to remind himself that if anything, it was Gilbert who should have reservations about their relationship. Siding with his enemy, becoming independent and neutral…she had done more harm to him than he had ever done to her. Yet, there they were, feeding each other bits of cheese and potato chips. Perhaps it was the Second Great War that changed her mind. Maybe it was the wall and the hell he went through inside. Or maybe it was because she was now the one protecting him from the evils of the world.

But it still didn't change the fact that his brother was dying.

"So, my little swan, your birthday is coming up," Gilbert said to Lily, his head resting in his palm. "What would you like?"

"Oh, you don't have to get me anything Gil," Lily insisted, waving her hands across her face. "It's not necessary at all."

"What? Of course it is!" he rumbled. "That Vash tries to outdo me every year and I just won't have it! Now, tell me what you want and I'll make sure it's twice as more awesome!"

"Don't bring brother into this," Lily frowned. "Vash doesn't care for that kind of competition."

Ludwig had to snort at that. Vash, uncompetitive? Yeah right. He may be neutral but he sure liked beating everyone at everything. And since Lily and Gilbert had rekindled their relationship, Vash had been particularly competitive against the aging nation-tan.

"See? West totally agrees with me!" Gilbert moved towards Lily, taking a hold of her shoulders. "C'mon Lily, just tell me what you want! I promise you won't regret it!"

This when on for about a minute or two. Gilbert begging to know Lily's ideal present and Lily vehemently denying such a thing existed, giggling all the way through. And, for a minute or two, Ludwig forgot what was happening to his brother. He forgot how his heart contorted with fear when the wall had fallen down and Gilbert's face had floated out of the ash. He forgot that he had looked forty then and looked near sixty now. He forgot the nightmares Gilbert had had of Ivan and his refusal to talk to anyone that had been part of the Axis powers besides Feliciano and himself. He forgot that he punched Roderick and begged for Francis's forgiveness the first time he met them after the wall. He forgot it all just to savor these few minutes of happiness. Where his brother's laughter and smile reminded him of his childhood days, when Gilbert was invincible and they were on the top of the world.

And it was all ruined by that _fucking_ cough.

"Gilbert! Would you like some water?" Lily's voice was even but her eyes panicked. His coughs had grown increasingly violent over the last decade and were usually accompanied with blood and vicious shivers. Ludwig loathed that cough. It mocked him, sneered at him, told him that no matter how much he took care of Gilbert, no matter how normal things appeared to be, it would sneak up at the most unexpected of moments and snatch that illusion away. The illusion that Gilbert could recover, could _not _being dying.

What a fool Ludwig was.

"C'mon Gil, let's get you to the bathroom," Ludwig stood up, offering his hand for his brother to take.

"What are you talking about, Ludwig?" Gilbert wheezed out. "I'm fine. C'mon, we can still eat. It's such a nice –" The rest was cut off by a slur of coughs. Gilbert leaned against the frame of the gazebo for support.

"Oh, Gilbert, please listen to Ludwig. He's only trying to help," Lily ran her hand up and down his back in attempt to calm down his cough. "We can come out tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be the same as it was today. If you really want, we can take a nap out here on the hammock."

The cough subdued slightly but when Gilbert removed his hand from his mouth, blood slipped over his palms and was smeared over his cheeks.

"Nope, no hammock," Ludwig stated and took his brother by the shoulder. "We're taking care of this and then you are going to bed. I don't need you sick for another week because of your foolish choices."

"Let go of me, asshole!" Gilbert snarled, his red eyes trying to recall their once fierce sheen. Eyes that were once rumored to suck out the souls of soldiers and seduce women into bed. But those eyes had never scared Ludwig and he'd be damned if they scared him now.

"I said let me go!" And before Ludwig knew what was happening, his face was greeted by Gilbert's bloodied fist. He let go of Gilbert's shoulder and watched as his brother struggled not to kneel down and hack out blood. "Who do you think you are? My babysitter? I've been changing you, feeding you, teaching you everything you know for the last 500 years! _You're_ the little brother. I'm supposed to be the one taking care of _you_!"

"It's not like that anymore, brother," Ludwig said, clenching his fists and refusing to say what he really wanted to: that Gilbert should stop acting like a selfish brat and accept that he needed help. That he was dying and Ludwig was doing all he could to make sure he lived his last century in peace and happiness. That Ludwig would never be the same without his older brother and that he might crumble without his presence. All these things he was free to think, but he could never say them. God, if he ever said them…

"Bullshit!" Gilbert spat back. "Don't act like the hotshot just because you're the one with the country and the money. I can still kick your ass, right here, right now! C'mon, _West, _let's see what –"

"Gilbert, stop it," Lily's steady voice rang between the two men and Ludwig moved his head to see Lily at the foot of the gazebo, her face painted over in apathy. "Ludwig is only trying to help. Your coughing is going to get worse if you continue to scream."

"This doesn't concern you, Lily," Gilbert growled. "This is between me and Ludwig."

"Doesn't concern me?" Lily's eyes narrowed and she walked towards Gilbert. "I helped you raise Ludwig."

"Yeah, until it got to difficult," Gilbert turned his back to Ludwig and gave his full attention to Lily. "Until Rodreich offered you freedom from _me. _And you took it after all I did for you. Where were you during the two Great Wars, Lily, hmmm? Nowhere in fucking sight. You want to make this about us? Well, answer that for me."

Lily never looked away from his face, even as a hot tear streaked down her cheek. "You know the answer, Gilbert. Go read a history book if you need reminding."

"I want to hear it from you," Gilbert inched closer, his body looming over her petite frame.

Lily remained silent.

"_Answer me!" _Gilbert screamed at her, digging his fingers into her shoulders. "You were nothing without me! _Nothing! _And I was nothing without you! Nothing, nothing, _nothing!"_

Before Ludwig could intervene, Gilbert crumpled up and fell to the ground, his coughs and sobs creating a chaotic and grotesque clatter. Lily followed suit and wrapped her arms around him, apparently unconcerned that splatters of blood were soaking into her white dress.

"I've promised you before and I'll promise you again," Lily's whisper barely reached Ludwig's ears. "I'll never leave you. Not now and not ever. I made a mistake and I'm making up for it. Please accept my apology and my promise."

Gilbert didn't say anything, continuing to cry and cough.

Ludwig didn't know what to feel at this particular moment of time as he watched Lily lift up Gilbert and make their way towards the back door. He was angry at Gilbert for spoiling such a perfect day. Angry at Lily for being the only one that could tear down Gilbert's façade of aggression. And angry at himself for not speaking up when he had the chance.

All he could do was wait for Gilbert to accept his fate. For he himself to accept it.

That Gilbert was dying and there was nothing he could do about it.

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**CI: I started this about eight months ago and just finished up today (for some reason, I got my writing kick back). **

**This was done to give a realistic portrayal of Prussia after the Berlin Wall. Countries that are dissolved need to DIE. That's it. They are no longer considered a nation, a piece of the geography. Countries, like people, are not immortal. Sure, the people still exist, but they no longer have a distinct **_**nationality, **_**it's an ethnicity. **

**Anyway, I see Prussia as an aging older man who will eventually die within the next century after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Probably a little paranoid, sad, and clinging onto his past before everything went to shit. And yes, Prussia/Liechtenstein is by far WAY more canon than its alternative and probably the only one that Prussia would be romantically inclined towards. I don't feel the need to explain. Just find a history book on the subject. **

**There are probably going to be a few more chapters to this (I do want to write Lily's birthday party and show the relationships of other countries currently) but don't expect them soon. I have a lot on my plate in the next few months so unless I have free time, this will remain a one-shot for the time being. **

**Lastly, here are my thoughts on Hetalia in general (be warned, most will not like it):**

**I could write an essay as to what I think is absolutely wrong with Hetalia. An entire freakin' dissertation if I had to. The Hetalia fandom definitely shows that we ignore that most important rule: those who fail to learn history are bound to repeat it. What some of the fans even SUGGEST is just completely grotesque. They treat battles, wars where millions of people died, where women were raped, children sodomized and thrown into slavery as petty arguments between two nations. It sickens me to no end. And the creator himself is no better. He treats WWII like some game and stereotypes nations. For someone who can have so much influence, he uses it unfortunately to appease horny slash fans (also note to these fans: Would you fuck the people who raised you? No? Then stop trying to make excuses for your sick fascination with USUK and accept you have a problem. Same with Spain/Romano, France/Seychelles, and all incest pairings. Seriously. You need to reevaluate yourselves). Also, the assholes who ship Prussia and Russia together need to stop that. Just stop it. **


End file.
